Collision
by Mythical Brit
Summary: Dr. Jack Shephard and Dr. Robert Chase share one thing in common: a romance with feisty Dr. Joanna Dudley. The paths of all three cross unexpectedly in the wake of the Oceanic 815 crash. Romantic adventure / science fiction / Lost-House, M.D. crossover
1. Chapter 1

**[NOTE: Italics indicate Flashback episode]**

**Day 1**

_Joanna smiled warmly at Jack as she settled into her seat and grabbed a magazine to flip through. Jack returned her smile, and placed his hand over hers on the armrest._

_"I'm grateful to have you with me, Jo," he said earnestly._

_Jo shrugged matter of factly. "I'm your best friend. I would never let you do this on your own."_

_Jack was silent for a few moments, then turned to face Jo again. "Do you remember when I told you I wanted us to start over? Do you ever think about that?"_

_Jo put her magazine down and blushed hotly. "All the time, actually." she said in a very soft voice. She gazed straight into Jack's eyes and responded with complete honesty. "I've been in love with you for years. You know that. But after Sarah, and Chase, we both needed time to heal."_

_"I'm healed now." he replied._

_Jo chewed her lip thoughtfully. This is the moment she had always wanted and feared at the same time. "Jack, besides our friendship, we have a professional relationship at the hospital to maintain. That complicates things. We ought to move very slowly."_

_Jack nodded. "Just let me do something I've wanted to do for a very long time." He leaned close to Jo and kissed her softly on the lips. With one kiss their turbulent friendship finally ended and something entirely new took its place._

_Jo woke up with her head nestled on Jack's shoulder. She felt comfortable there, and reluctant to move, but she was desperate to stretch her legs. She unbuckled her seatbelt and stood up._

_"I'll be right back," she told Jack. "I just need to walk a bit."_

_"I'll save your seat for you." Jack responded with a flirty smile._

_At the back of the plane Jo was thrown into another passenger by sudden turbulence. The flight attendant suggested she return to her seat immediately. Jo moved towards her seat but another turbulent jolt caused her to fall face first in the aisle. All of a sudden she was surrounded by chaos, and the next thing she knew she was falling from a terrifying height._

* * *

Jo struggled to stay afloat in the water. She had nearly reached the beach, but weakness overwhelmed her and she began to sink into the waves until she felt strong hands grasp her under her arms and pull her to land. She looked up into the kind eyes of a very tall African man.

"Thank you," she gasped, and grabbed his hand to squeeze it. He sat with her on the sand until she recovered her strength. She instantly felt safe with this man, and recognized him as a good person. After a few moments, she sat up and took in her surroundings. Bodies and debris were washing up on the shore, and she couldn't tell the living from the dead.

"I'm a doctor," she finally blurted. "I can help these people."

"And your name?"

"Joanna."

"I am Mr. Eko."

In that moment, Joanna forged a new, unexpected friendship. Without another word, Mr. Eko began hauling bodies out of the water while Joanna treated the injured as well as she could without any medical supplies. While she worked she fought the rising terror that threatened to overwhelm her. She refused to acknowledge the very real possibility that the next dead body Eko pulled from the ocean might very well be Jack's.


	2. Chapter 2

**Day 1**

Joanna spotted a woman in a sundress tending to a man's broken leg while another woman in a black tank top looked on.

"I'm a doctor," Joanna said as she kneeled beside the man. She tore the skirt of the black lace dress she had bought in Australia for Christian Shephard's unexpected funeral and wrapped it around the man's wound. "You look like you know what you're doing, so I'll leave you to it."

"I'm Libby. I'm a clinical psychologist, but I had one year of medical school." Joanna immediately liked Libby; she had a welcoming, friendly demeanor.

"And you?" Jo turned towards the other woman. She seemed much gruffer, a little edgy. Jo had a gut feeling she wasn't going to get on too well with this woman.

"Ana Lucia." Joanna nodded curtly in reply and returned her attention to Libby. "I'll leave him to you, Libby."

********************************

When Joanna had tended to the last of the injured passengers, she sank into the hot sand, exhausted. She had found no sign of Jack, either among the injured or the dead. She gazed over the ocean water and wondered whether he had found his grave there. Then the tears began to fall.

An older man walked up to her and sat down beside her. He offered her his handkerchief. "Thank you," she blurted as she wiped her tears with it.

"You've lost someone too?" He put his arm around her shoulders to comfort her.

"My best friend," Joanna replied sadly. "I haven't found him."

"I've lost my wife," he replied. "Her name is Rose."

Joanna looked into his sad face and felt an instant bond with him as they shared their grief. "Then we'll just have to stick together, won't we?" she smiled weakly.

**********************************************

By the end of the day, Joanna had met most of the 26 survivors on the beach, but the man known as Goodwin remained fairly mysterious. She usually had a fairly accurate sense of people upon meeting them, but he offered very little information about himself, other than he was a member of the Peace Corps. She made a mental note to watch him carefully in order to learn more about him.

The group gathered around the signal fire that Goodwin had made and waited for night to fall.


	3. Chapter 3

**[NOTE: Italics indicate flashback episode]**

**Day 1 (Night)**

_Christian Shephard brought Joanna to the doctor's lounge for a bit of a break from orientation on her first day at St. Sebastian's Hospital. A young, very attractive doctor was pouring a cup of coffee. Christian smiled when he saw the young doctor, and led Joanna over to meet him._

_"Joanna, this is my son, Jack. He works with me in surgery. Joanna is resident in the new Diagnostics department. You may be working closely together. She was top of her class at Princeton, so we're very lucky to have her."_

_Jack flashed an inviting, boyish smile at Joanna. She felt an instant surge of electricity as her eyes met his, and she blushed as she shook Jack's hand._

_"You can call me Jo," she replied, still glued to Jack's eyes. He looked sheepish as he realized her hand was still clasped tightly in his, and reluctantly pulled it away._

_"Welcome!" Jack replied. "I'd be happy to show you around the rest of the day, if you'd like. I don't have any surgeries scheduled until late tonight._

_"That works out well," Christian approved. "I have some paperwork to tend to. You're in the best hands, Joanna."_

_She nodded in reply, grateful for the chance to get to know Jack better. Already, by the end of her first day, Joanna and Jack had recognized their immediate chemistry, and an affectionate friendship was established. She realized that it would be a constant struggle to maintain a professional relationship with Jack when their mutual attraction was obvious to both of them and a deeper, more intense and more satisfying relationship was inevitable._

Joanna woke on the cold sand with a start. "Jack?" she whispered drowsily. It took her a moment to remember where she was. Others had already been awakened by muffled screaming from further down the beach, and were whispering nervously. She poked Goodwin, who lay next to her. "Goodwin, wake up! Something's happened!"

Ana Lucia jumped up and ran towards the noise, followed closely by Joanna and Goodwin, who had quickly grabbed a torch. A couple yards away from where the group of survivors slept by the fire, they found Mr. Eko, his shirt bloodied, towering over two lifeless bodies. Joanna didn't recognize either of them from the group of survivors. Eko held a large rock in his hand, which was also dripping with blood.

"What happened?" she asked fearfully as she ran up to him. "Eko? Tell me what happened!" He remained silent, apparently in shock, and gazed at his hands in disbelief. "We need to know!" Joanna cried.


	4. Chapter 4

**[NOTE: Italics indicate flashback episodes]**

**Day 2**

_Jack poked his head into Joanna's office. It was very late at night, and she was still huddled over a patient's files.  
He pulled up a chair beside her desk and gently placed his hand on her wrist. "Why are you still here? The rest of your team has gone home. You should go home, too."_

_Jo sighed and put her pen down. "I can't, Jack. This patient's symptoms have me puzzled."_

_"You're exhausted." He told her firmly. "You've been running on nothing but coffee for days. You can crash at my house, if you want. It's closer to the hospital, and you can be here as early as you want tomorrow. But you need to sleep."_

_"No, Jack…" Jack ignored her protest and began to put away her papers. He picked up her coat and handed it to her. Jo smiled at him, giving in to his persistence. "You're stubborn as hell. You win."_

_Jack flashed his boyish smile in return and continued to pack up Jo's things._

_

* * *

  
_

_Joanna lay nestled comfortably in Jack's bed, still wide awake, her mind racing furiously. Jack had offered to sleep on his pull-out couch, but he remained wide awake as well. He startled Joanna when he walked into the bedroom and sat beside her on the bed._

_"I can't sleep, knowing you're in here," he said softly._

_Joanna sat up in the bed. "What do you mean by that, Jack?"_

_"This," he responded, and pulled her toward him for a deep, searching kiss._

_

* * *

  
_

_Joanna awoke entwined in the bedsheets. She enjoyed a delicious, lingering stretch and grinned happily as she remembered where she was. Jack sat hunched over in a chair on the far side of the room in his boxers and a T-shirt, holding his head in his hands. Jo sat up in alarm as soon as she noticed him._

_"Jack, what's the matter?"_

_"This girl…this accident victim…her spine is irreversibly damaged, but I told her I could fix her. I promised her, but I can't fix this. I can't get her out of my mind."_

_Jo suddenly felt cold as understanding dawned on her. All the joy she had felt drained, and was replaced with disappointment and hurt. "And what we just shared, Jack…that was merely a distraction for you, wasn't it? I've seen patients' cases consume you before, and I've seen you do stupid things for temporary relief."_

_"Is that honestly what you think?" Jack looked up and gazed into her eyes with an unaccustomed intensity._

_"Yes, it is." Joanna climbed out of the bed and hastily threw her clothes back on. "This did not happen, Jack."_

_"Jo, wait…" Jack began._

_"Let me go. I know you better than you think I do. I understand that you needed a distraction from your fixation. Let's leave it at that, okay?" She stormed out of the bedroom in a fury. "I'll see you at the hospital, and we'll forget this happened!" she shouted behind her as she let herself out the front door._

**Day 2 (Night)**

Jo sat apart from the group gathered around the fire, lost in her own thoughts. Three people had gone missing the night before, and Eko still refused to talk about what he had seen. Ana Lucia had tried to move the group off the beach, but she was vetoed by Nathan and Goodwin. Joanna felt she needed to escape the tension that was rising among the survivors but had nowhere to go. She missed Jack tremendously.

Libby sat down beside her. "Is everything okay?"

Jo offered her a weak smile. "As well as could be expected," she responded. "I'm not entirely sure I trust Ana Lucia. She's hotheaded, and aggressive. I don't really think she's meant to be a leader. And Eko...he still won't talk. I worry about him."

Libby nodded in agreement. "You know...people look up to you. You could be a leader."

"I'm not interested." Jo responded curtly.

"What is it that keeps you so guarded?" Libby probed. "Why do you purposely detach yourself from the group? They need someone like you to keep them going."

Jo fidgeted nervously in the sand and changed the subject, refusing to meet Libby's eyes. "Have you ever wondered where the rest of the plane went? We only make up maybe a quarter of the plane. Don't you think there might be more survivors somewhere else on the island?"

"Do you really believe so many people could have survived?" Libby asked softly.

"We made it, against all odds, didn't we?" Jo asked sharply. "I have to believe he - I mean, they - made it as well."

"Maybe they did, and we'll find them." Libby conceded. They sat together in a comfortable silence as darkness descended on the island.


	5. Chapter 5

**[NOTE: Italics indicate flashback episode]**

**Day 3 (Night)**

_Jack stopped by Jo's office for his daily visit. As usual, she was hunched over her desk, poring over a patient's files. She thrived on the puzzles they presented, and had earned a reputation at St. Sebastian's for brilliance in solving them._

_She smiled when she saw him in the doorway and motioned for him to come inside._

_"Are you alone again?" he asked._

_"Not tonight. Chase is staying with me; he's gone to get some coffee."_

_"The Aussie doctor? There are rumors that you two are dating," Jack replied with a mischievous look._

_Jo's smiled widened. "They're not rumors. They're true." Jack's smile faded ever so slightly._

_Jack stepped towards Jo's desk and handed her an envelope. She glanced at it and this time it was her turn to frown._

_Jack cleared his throat nervously. "It's a wedding invitation. I wanted to give it to you in person. Sarah and I would really like you to be there."_

_Jo pushed the envelope to one side and hid her eyes from Jack. She didn't know how to respond, so she said nothing at all. The tension in the air was palpable, and Jack turned to leave. He changed his mind suddenly and pulled a chair up to Jo's desk instead._

_"I miss our friendship. You've been distant ever since that night…" his voice trailed off as his memories flooded over him. Jo knew exactly what he meant. She sighed, and took her glasses off so she would have something to fidget with._

_"I know I've been distant, but you are still my best friend and always will be. I've just felt that this chapter of your life, since you fixed Sarah and decided to marry her, well…I thought it was something you should experience on your own. I just want you to be happy, Jack."_

_"And what about you, Jo? Are you happy?" he asked her. His eyes searched hers for an honest answer. How could she possibly answer that? How could she tell him the truth? That she was utterly miserable because the man she had been in love with from day one wanted to marry someone else? That the reason she lost herself in her work was so that she wouldn't have to deal with the pain that he caused every time he mentioned Sarah's name?_

_"I'm happy, Jack." Jo responded stiffly. Jack's gaze never wavered. He knew she was lying. Thankfully, Chase appeared in the doorway at that moment with two mugs of coffee. Jack took his cue, and moved towards the door. "Goodnight, then." he told her as he left the room._

Libby woke Jo very gently. Jo took a moment to shake off her dreams. "Libby? It's the middle of the night!"

"It's Donald. His leg is infected, and he's delirious."

"I'll take a look," Jo responded. She was exhausted, but managed to rouse herself quickly. Most people were still sleeping soundly, but a few stayed awake to watch for the Others who had kidnapped their people, and might come back for more. Mr. Eko sat apart from the group, gazing over the ocean in silence with his scripture stick beside him.

Jo looked at Donald's leg, and shook her head gravely. "There's not much I can do without antibiotics. We can clean the wound, maybe find some aloe vera, but ultimately…he's not going to make it," she whispered to Libby. "We can only keep him as comfortable as possible." She turned away. They had witnessed so much death in the past three days; one more threatened to break her calm doctor's detachment she had relied on to get through the past few days.

Jo walked towards Mr. Eko and sat beside him. He looked at her calmly and saw in her eyes that she needed to be comforted. Without a word, he placed his arm around her and pulled her close to him. She slept peacefully in his arms until sunrise and had never felt more safe in her entire life.


	6. Chapter 6

**[NOTE: Italics indicate flashback episodes]**

**Day 4**

_Joanna kissed Chase goodnight in the hospital parking lot._

_"Are you sure you don't want to come over tonight?" he whispered as he nuzzled her neck playfully. Jo giggled and swatted him away._

_"Not tonight. I have some things I have to get done around the house. But we're on for dinner tomorrow night, right?"_

_"Absolutely," he replied, and kissed her again. "Sweet dreams, luv."_

_Jo waved him off and walked towards her car. She felt a little lightheaded. Things had gotten serious with Chase very quickly, and she was thrilled about it. He made her very, very happy._

_"There's something I need to know," Jack's voice startled Jo and her keys flew out of her hand. He had been leaning against her car, waiting._

_"Dammit Jack, you scared the hell out of me!" she yelled and fished around on the ground to find her keys._

_"I'm sorry," he replied, and crouched on the ground to help her. He found the keys underneath her front tire and handed them to her. They stood up and now found themselves standing only a few inches apart. Jo felt that familiar rush of electricity from being close to him and instinctively took a step backwards to avoid it._

_"What is it?" she asked, irritated. It had been a long day, and more than anything she just wanted to get home._

_"I need to know why, for years, you've adamantly refused to 'cross the line' with me because of our 'professional relationship,' but it's perfectly all right for you and Dr. Chase."_

_"Don't do this," Jo whispered softly and opened the door of her car._

_"I need to know!" he demanded._

_Jo slammed the car door. "It's because I was terrified," she spoke slowly and softly, almost angrily. "It's because I love you so much that I couldn't allow myself to risk losing you completely if our relationship went sour. I felt safer with our friendship."_

_"Except we haven't had a friendship! You've detached yourself from it. I want to fix this. I want to start over with you."_

_Jo was taken aback by the intensity in his eyes. She hesitated a moment, trying to choose the right words to respond with. Finally, she shook her head sadly. "It's too late, Jack. You're getting married in one week, and I'm finally happy with Chase. Whatever you and I might have had will never happen. We're meant to remain friends." Jo opened the car door again and started to get in. Jack fought back tears as he watched her drive away._

* * *

Jo was fishing with Eko when she felt compelled to look behind her towards the jungle. She did, and gasped in shock. Christian Shepherd was standing at the edge of the jungle in a crisp black suit, staring directly at her.

"Eko, do you see that man? Tell me you see him!" she demanded, her eyes wide in horror.

Eko followed her gaze but didn't give her an answer. She watched Christian turn his back to her and disappear into the jungle. Suddenly she felt very dizzy. Eko gripped her arm firmly to hold her steady. What she had just seen was completely impossible. Christian was dead, she and Jack had identified his body in Australia! She was still wearing the black dress she had bought for his funeral.

What was happening to her?


	7. Chapter 7

**[NOTE: Italics indicate flashback episode]**

**Day 5 (Night)**

The survivors sat solemnly around the campfire. They had buried Donald that day, the fourth passenger to be buried on the beach, and morale was running extremely low.

Nathan sat beside Joanna and casually put his arm around her. "You tried to save him. You did the best you could."

Jo glared at him in response. He got the message and removed his arm.

"You know, we haven't talked much since the crash. I'd like to know a little more about you," he said, trying very hard to be smooth.

"What do you want to know?"

"For one, are you married?"

Jo looked at Nathan in disgust. They had just buried a man, and he chose this moment to hit on her? Unbelievable.

She sighed heavily. "I was nearly married," she admitted. "But it didn't work out so well."

* * *

_Jo gazed delightedly at her glittering engagement ring. She and Chase were busily making plans for a December wedding, and she had never been happier._

_She was home alone when Jack knocked on her door. He looked serious and was obviously very agitated._

_"What is it?" she asked, worried. She motioned for him to come inside. Jack had had a very difficult year, between Sarah leaving him, his obsessive behavior resulting from it, and his father's troubles at the hospital. Jo was always there for him, even though it often irritated her fiance._

_"Do you want a drink?" she asked._

_"No," Jack responded sharply. "I came to ask you to do something for me." Jo looked at him expectantly. "My father's disappeared. My mom thinks he's in Australia, and asked me to go find him. I can't...I can't go alone."_

_Jo could tell it was killing him to ask for her help; he was usually so independent. This was a new low for him._

_"Jack, I can't just go to Australia with you. I'm getting married in three months. I'm sorry."_

_Jack looked deeply into her eyes. "I need you, Jo."_

_Joanna got up and paced around the living room. "Chase won't be happy," she reminded him. "He already thinks I spend too much time with you."_

_"He'll understand."_

_Jo shook her head. "I'm not so sure he will." she sighed, and sat down next to him again. "But, this must be pretty serious. I'll talk to him, okay?"_

* * *

_"Absolutely not," Chase growled. "That's out of the question."_

_"It's not for you to decide what I can and can't do," Jo shouted back. "Jack needs me, and I'm going."_

_"I need you! Jack has been falling apart for months, and he's bringing us with him. I won't have it!"_

_"We're not falling apart," Jo snapped. "He's my best friend, and I promised I would do this for him. I'll be back in plenty of time to finish planning for the wedding."_

_"If you go to Australia there will be no wedding." Chase declared._

_Jo's shock registered on her face. "You can't be serious."_

_"I"m serious," he responded. "Over and over again, you keep choosing Jack over me, and I've had enough of it. If we're getting married, Jack has to be out of the picture completely."_

_"I can't do that and you know it," Jo replied angrily. "I won't abandon my best friend."_

_"Then give me that ring back."_

_Jo pulled her engagement ring off and flung it furiously at Chase. "Take it. I'm done fighting."_

_Chase stormed out of her house and Jo collapsed on the couch, sobbing bitterly. It looked like Jack had come between her and Chase for the last time._

* * *

Jo suddenly looked beyond Nathan. Christian was standing just behind him, holding a glass of whiskey in his hand.

"Do you see him?" she whispered. Nathan looked behind him.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, confused.

Jo stood up and walked cautiously towards Christian. When he suddenly darted into the jungle, Jo instinctively followed him. His white dress shirt shone like a beacon in the dark jungle. Jo ran for as long as she could, until she lost sight of Christian. She glanced around her and realized she was very, very lost.


End file.
